Despite a disappointing season compared to 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays are heading into another meaningful September.

While the Blue Jays won’t be able to defend their AL East crown,  they could still find their way back into the postseason. While the wild card is the most important goal for the Blue Jays in the final stretch of the season, there are plenty more storylines to keep an eye on.

The biggest storyline facing the Blue Jays for the remainder of the season is the battle for the final American League wild card spot. The Blue Jays sit 1.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the wild card race. They are headed to Cleveland following a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners.

The sweep of the Mariners was important in the Blue Jays’ playoff bid. Before the series, the Mariners sat half a game behind the Blue Jays in the wild card race and had won their first series this season. Now, the Blue Jays are 3.5 games ahead of the Mariners and hold the tiebreaker should the teams finish the season with identical records.

The Blue Jays’ upcoming series against the Guardians could be the most important of the season. The Guardians currently hold the final wild card spot with a 69-68 record. The Blue Jays won the earlier series between the teams, so another series win would not just put them ahead in the standings, but give them the tiebreaker.

The Guardians are the only team left on the Blue Jays’ schedule with a record over .500. However, several of the teams they are set to face are also in the wild card race. The Blue Jays have two series left against their division rivals, the Baltimore Orioles, who sit half a game ahead of them in the standings.

The Blue Jays also have an upcoming series against the Texas Rangers, who are half a game behind the Blue Jays in the standings. The Blue Jays have already lost the tiebreaker to the Rangers after they were swept in four games back in June.

After sweeping the Mariners, the Blue Jays are 68-70 on the season. They haven’t been above .500 since April 3. The Blue Jays have climbed back to .500 twice since then, but blew a ninth-inning lead both times before going on a losing streak. Not only do the Blue Jays need to get back to .500 to contend for a playoff spot, but they need to stay there.

The Blue Jays have nine home games left in 2026, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. still hasn’t hit a home run at the Rogers Centre. In fact, he has seven total this season. It’s one of the most shocking storylines of the Blue Jays’ 2026 season and seems especially incomprehensible after his brilliant performance during the 2025 postseason. It’s also concerning in the first year of his 14-year, $500 million contract with the Blue Jays.

The last time Guerrero hit a home run at the Rogers Centre was during Game 6 of the ALCS against the Mariners. He was in a slump toward the end of the 2025 regular season, so his last regular-season home run in Toronto was on August 17.

Guerrero’s loss of power has played a big role in why 2026 has been an uphill battle for the Blue Jays. They’ve still managed to stay in the hunt, but if Guerrero can find his form, that would be a big boost to the Blue Jays’ playoff hopes.

Dylan Cease has been one of the Blue Jays’ high points in 2026. He’s in the first year of his seven-year, $210 million contract.

Cease is currently second in AL Cy Young odds behind Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees. The two have been the frontrunners for the award for most of the season, with Schlittler leading. Schlittler has the edge over Cease in bWAR (5.9 vs. 5.7), ERA (2.09 vs. 2.33), innings pitched (163.2 vs. 150.1), record (12-6 vs. 9-5), and walk rate (6.5 per cent vs. 10.8 per cent).

However, Cease has the edge in strikeouts (217 vs. 201) and strikeout rate (36.1 per cent vs. 30.9 per cent). Cease has also struck out seven or more in 19 consecutive starts, something that hasn’t been done since Randy Johnson did it in 2001.

Cease finished second in Cy Young voting in 2022 and fourth in 2024. If the season ended today, he would likely finish as the runner-up once again, but there’s still a month left for Cease to make his case against Schlittler.

While Cease is a bit of an underdog in the Cy Young race, Louis Varland is the favourite to win the AL Reliever of the Year. He’s leading the odds ahead of Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians and Jacob Latz of the Texas Rangers.

Varland has arguably been the Blue Jays’ MVP in 2026. He had an incredible start to the season as a high-leverage arm before being moved into the closer role after Jeff Hoffman struggled out of the gate. Varland has made 62 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2026, posting a 1.18 ERA, which is the lowest among qualified relievers in Major League Baseball. He has 31 saves and only one blown save, which came in his 25th attempt.

Varland, along with Cease and Ernie Clement, made his first all-star appearance in 2026. He’s looked almost unstoppable for most of the season, and if he keeps that up through September, he could earn his first AL Reliever of the Year award.

The 2026 trade deadline was a whirlwind for the Blue Jays. Their disappointing record meant saying goodbye to a few players on expiring contracts, including trading fan-favourite pitcher Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs. While it stung to trade away a player who had meant a lot to the fans and the organization, the Blue Jays have gotten a great return so far from Brett Bateman.

Bateman had been playing for the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate when he was traded to the Blue Jays. He played two games with the Buffalo Bisons before he was called up to Toronto.

He’s impressed to start his MLB career. In his first 19 games, Bateman is slashing .333/.384/.410 and has 26 hits. He’s already racked up 0.9 fWAR and provided a bit of a spark to the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays have already put a lot of trust in Bateman, putting him in the leadoff spot in 14 of 19 games. While his slash line will probably cool off with a larger sample size, he’s a high-contact hitter with good plate discipline and smart base running. He also brings speed, which is an area where the Blue Jays have lacked in 2026.

The only noticeable downside to Bateman so far is his lack of power. This has been a weakness for the Blue Jays across the board in 2026. They are 27th in home runs this season (131).

While it’s too small a sample size to read too deeply into Bateman’s stats, he’s had a great start to his MLB career. He’s looked comfortable in the leadoff spot and has done a good job of generating offence at the top of the order. He’s provided a spark to the Blue Jays’ offence, which has struggled for most of 2026.